Conclusion

The completion grants pilot awarded over $240,000 to more than 700 students in its first year. The coaching and completion grant initiatives administered by the partnering organizations seek to address the barriers Tennessee Promise students face in their continued enrollment and completion. Completion grant data indicate that students have needs inside and outside of the classroom, including Transportation, Food, coursework costs (books, supplies, and class-specific fees), and Housing (ordered by grants awarded) that are barriers to their success. Future reports will include outcomes information for grant recipients, including persistence and college completion.

As of the time of this report, the completion grants pilot is in year two. Additional funds were made available allowing tnAchieves to expand the program to students receiving any Pell grant dollars, in alignment with the Ayers Foundation eligibility criteria. An update to this report capturing outcomes for year one recipients and year two participation will be available in January 2024.